Israel

The Trump administration praised a series of measures approved by Israel to help improved the Palestinian economy and relax travel restrictions for the Palestinians, in a statement released Monday.

According to the statement, the measures approved by the Israeli cabinet on Sunday are consistent with President Donald Trump’s “particular interest” in improving the Palestinian economy. The administration praised Israel for increasing the hours of operation of the Allenby Bridge into Jordan, allowing families greater opportunity to visit each other over the summer months and make the Hajj to Saudi Arabia easier. Israel also promised to streamline the process of allowing the travelers across the bridge using electronic applications and widening the road to accommodate two-way traffic. These improvements are scheduled to be implemented by summer of 2018.

The measures, including the development of two new industrial zones and increasing the number of housing permits in Area C, were passed by Israel’s cabinet in a 7-2 vote Sunday, Bloomberg News reported.

“The Trump administration is focused on materially enhancing the quality of life and the economy for the Palestinians,” Michael Oren, a member of Knesset and Deputy Minister for Diplomacy in the Prime Minister’s Office, explained in an interview. “They don’t see economic peace as a substitute for real peace, but they see it as setting an agenda that would make conditions conducive toward peace.”